365Corks.com

The daily search for a great bottle of wine. Or at least an affordable one!

Just
a quick update from 365corks.com. I've recently relocated to Huntington
Beach, California and all that has to offer. In the coming days/weeks
I'll start posting reviews again after a more than lengthy layoff. Life
has a way of getting in the way of a good blog. I hope to find some
decent wines and decent prices and share those with you. Stay tuned.

Started
out with mixed emotions about this 2009 Estrella Chardonnay. In fact, I
thought I would give it 3 Corkscrews up until the point that I sat down
at the computer and changed my mind settling on the 4 Corkscrews I
ended up awarding. Now behind my reasoning. I was shopping in the local
wine section and seeing the same old wines I see there every time I
visit the store. Same prices as well with most of the stuff I've been
buying around the $11-12/bottle range. Much to my surprise the Estrella
was on a lower shelf and displayed a price of $4.99. Yes you read that
right, $4.99! Now if you're like me the first thing that pops in your
head is that this must be some crappy wine? Why else would it be priced
so ridiculously low? Fortunately for the good folks at the vineyard, I'm
one who will take a chance on a cheap wine in hopes that I can find an
undiscovered jewel. I don't know that I can put this one in the jewel
category but it is worth every cent I paid for it and then some. On the
nose this wine displays lots of fruit and, how's the best way to put
this, "thickness". Now I know you're saying "How can you smell
thickness?" Well, you just can! Maybe bold or strong might be better
words but I'm staying with "thickness". Darkish yellow in color my first
taste revealed strong apple flavor and honeydew melon. A little bit of
oak but not overpowering. The "thickness" I noticed on the nose was
evident on the palate as well. If you don't like a bold, really tasteful
Chardonnay, stay away from this one because it packs a lot of flavor in
each sip. I wasn't really crazy about the finish as it had a little
burn to it. If not for the $4.99 price I would have given this 3
Corkscrews but the most excellent price was what put me over the edge to
4 Corkscrews. I highly recommend this one if you can find it anywhere
from $4.99 - $6.50/bottle. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine.

I
picked this one up at our local Wegmans having never heard anything
about it. It was an act of faith as its retail price was $12.99/bottle
and just about every Pinot Noir I've ever had at that low of a price
point sucked! Every once in awhile you find a jewel in a lower priced
wine and this is just such a jewel. My only hope is that it stays
undiscovered for awhile as I'm sure once the word gets out on this wine
the price is likely to shoot up. I opened it and allowed it to breathe
for about 30 minutes. Not that 30 minutes is some magical number it just
so happened that soon after I opened it #1 summoned me to attend to one
of my many honey-dos on the old honey-do list and it was 30 minutes
before my chore was complete. I poured that first glass and took a good
look under the lights to see how "rich" it appeared. Not a deep ruby red
like you see in Cabernet's, and some Pinot Noirs, but a medium bodied
red. I've noticed that cheaper Pinots seem to be light red in color and
easy to see through. Not scientific at all this peering through the
glass but something I've found to be a good indicator. On the nose I
picked up a little clove, cherry and maybe just a touch of vanilla. I
took my first drink and slowly swirled. On the palate I noted that this
was just bursting with all kinds of fruit. Cherry, strawberry, raspberry
and even a little plum came to mind. A very smooth finish to say the
least. I didn't taste any tannins at all. #1 was right behind me in
tasting this one and also proclaimed how much she liked it. After I told
her the price she liked it even more and promptly dispatched me to buy
more the next day before the price went up. Haven't given a 5 Corkscrew
rating in some time but this one made it easy. Sit Long, Talk Much,
Laugh Often, Drink Wine, especially this one!

Just
a quick post regarding the Orange County, Virginia Wine-Wings-Wheels
two-day event that will be held on October 22 & 23. Beautiful
country and well worth the trip if you're looking for something to do
that weekend. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Enjoy Life, Drink Wine!

I
don't usually do a lot of reviews on champagne, or sparkling wine as
it's known from countries other than France, but we had the Jaume Serra
Cristalino at a recent milestone birthday party, yours truly, and I just
had to jot a few lines about it. We ended up buying a case of this for
the party and only had one bottle left by the end of the night. We had
purchased equal amounts of red and white wine and this sparkling one was
the favorite of all who attended. Light yellow color this wine is very
lively when first poured. Make sure you use an appropriate stem to allow
it to fully open up and to get the best flavor this wine has to offer.
On the nose I picked up a slight amount of yeast with green apple and
tangerine. On the palate more fruit, the green apple made another
appearance, along with a slight hint of lime and possibly passion fruit.
Not as dry as other sparkling wine's I've had, that's a good thing in
this case, and a finish that is nice but doesn't linger. We had this
with a variety of heavy finger foods and by itself as the night wore
own. An informal canvas of this wine had it rated at 4 Corkscrews which I
easily concur with. It retails for about $7.00 a bottle so definitely
won't break the bank. Pick this one up for your next party or whenever
you just want to enjoy a nice glass of cham, I mean, sparkling wine! Sit
Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Enjoy Life, Drink Wine and a little
Champagne every once in awhile.

Just found out that a new winery has opened in our area. The Little Washington Winery
in Little Washington, Virginia sounds like it will be a nice one and I
plan to do a review just as soon as I can get out there. I've eaten at The Inn at Little Washington and
it is truly an experience everyone should have before they die. We got a
tour of the kitchen after dinner at it was just an incredible set up.
It is definitely destination dining. Have a great weekend. Sit Long,
Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!

Tonight's
review is of a 2010 Cielo Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie from Italy. We
picked this one up for $8.00/bottle at The Grapevine in Warrenton,
Virginia. I was looking for a wine that would stand up on its own as
well as one that we could have with fish, chicken or something similar.
Can't say I uncorked this one as it has the screw top that we're seeing
on more and more wines. Very light gold in color on the nose this one
showed hints of apricot and grass. Once I poured and allowed it to warm
up just a little I tasted more of the apricot and other citrus, maybe
lime, with a little hint of spice. Nice and crisp wine, a little dry but
not too much, and a nice, easy finish. I ended up drinking this with a
baked potato with just a touch of butter and a smattering of sharp
cheddar cheese and it went together wonderfully. I originally gave this
one 3 Corkscrews but after further consideration bumped it up to 4
Corkscrews due to its' great price and excellent flavor/acidity
combination. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!

As
a print and e-newsletter subscriber to Virginia Wine Lover Magazine I
get a monthly edition mailed to the house as well as a newsletter that
hits my inbox on occasion. This latest edition had a link to hosting a Virginia Wine Tasting Party
along with a variety of forms that can be used in planning and hosting
the party. A great idea that could be used with Virginia wines as well
as any other regions you might want to include. #1 and I attended a wine
tasting party several years ago and it was a blast. Come to think of it
we really need to have another one at our house soon. Check it out and
let me know if you have a party. I'd be glad to pass on what you and
your guests discover. Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often, Drink Wine!